After 30 days of nourishment, the bioengineered lung — transformed from a white gauze-like material into a pale lobe of bloodless flesh — was ready for transplantation. It was carefully inserted into the patient, an 80-pound Yorkshire pig, and then the scientists waited. Together, the pig and the lung would survive for two months.

That a lab-made lung could be placed inside a pig is perhaps unremarkable given what’s now possible in the fast-moving field of “designer pigs.” But that the lung survived as long as it did, and was grown using a new and possibly improved method, was significant, scientists say.

Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT Plus and enjoy your first 30 days free!